Put the flags away
Posted on: July 4, 2010 - 2:55am
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Put the flags away
I'm a fan of history,so I read Howard Zinn " The People's History of the United States " and James Loewen book " Lies my teacher told me : Everything that your American History Textbook got wrong " so I thought that someone might want to read http://www.commondreams.org/views06/0703-29.htm
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Here is a post I ust made on another Forum:
What is making this day more important... IMHO .... is that with Political Correctness having become the order of the day, Americans have to temper their patriotism for fear of being labeled racist... Ever since we have begun to hyphenate our nationality...and refer to ourselves by our ancestors heritage "hyphen" Americans.... the melting pot that galvanized our country and united us against the Nazis has given way to socio political pandering to cultural diversity, even when it offends our common sensibilities (female genital mutilation, for example)...and we are told that rather than assimilate to American culture, and add whatever positive aspects it may bring, People new to this country have the right to impose their will on the majority.
It's like Americans don't have the right to ask one another for common decency, and require a level of civility from the people we interact with in our own country...
Americans are being forced to tolerate other people's intolerance... its maddening... For the record... I am not one of these knee jerk fake patriots who masks racism with the flag...I detest those who bastardize our heritage to further their political agenda (Sarah Palin)... But when it comes right down to it... I'm not an "Italian" American... I am an American... and I am damn proud of it....
Oh... Have a Happy 4th, Folks...
P.S.... I know this will draw some people's Ire... It's OK...hahahahaha... I wont take offense...
www.RichWoodsBlog.com
Rich,
You're preaching to the choir for many of us on this site. Setting aside the leftist PC thought police, would you not agree that those on the far right are at present getting their day in the sun. It seems to me that being an American patriot is being defined by the Glenn Becks, Rush Limbaughs, Tea Partiers along with the Christian Right.
This is a land wherein if your smart, hardworking and decent to your fellow man you'll succeed. Yet it pisses me off when those on the right who complain about the government taking away their Medicare, don't want to shell out a penny to that very same government to help others. If you believe in small government, I fully respect that. But then don't expect a free lunch. If you don't want to shell out cash to the government then don't expect the government to help you. Don't expect society to be in debt to you. My message to all Tea Partiers. We should all stop paying taxes for your fucking Medicare and Social Security and let you rot!!!!!!
Agreed Rag... The Fox News Religious Right are without a doubt factually flawed jizzbags... However I will also say that about the MSNBC Liberal Left... Political Correctness comes from both parties...and it comes at the expense of the truth... regarding Politics, I try to remain rational, which is a qualities both parties seemed to have abandoned...
My Point is that America is pretty cool... and I am not ashamed to be a citizen... Does this demeen other countries?... Not at all... I am not type of American who calls the USA "The Best Country in the World"...and yet has never left the country....hahaha... I am just saying that this is a terrific country (with many flaws)... as are many other nations around the world...and like these other nations, America deserves its day in the sun...My Patriotism extends as far as my rational perspective will allow
But I will say this much aout The United States... Las Vegas is awesome....
www.RichWoodsBlog.com
Yes, you are correct. There are hypocrites on the right of wing. Surprised? Anyone? Bueller? Bueller?
No political ideology can claim to be 100% free of double-standards as well as the morons that usually take them up as a "crucial" aim.
Most of us RWs would prefer to simply abolish most of the "pork barrels" of an increasingly leftist federal government; social welfare included.
Will someone tell Richie he has YET to earn my ire? Srsly, dude... you need to try a HELLUVA lot harder than that to offend me. Not even The Mighty Vastet™ gaming god succeeded in that arena.
“A meritocratic society is one in which inequalities of wealth and social position solely reflect the unequal distribution of merit or skills amongst human beings, or are based upon factors beyond human control, for example luck or chance. Such a society is socially just because individuals are judged not by their gender, the colour of their skin or their religion, but according to their talents and willingness to work, or on what Martin Luther King called 'the content of their character'. By extension, social equality is unjust because it treats unequal individuals equally.” "Political Ideologies" by Andrew Heywood (2003)
Ken, fuck you.
Everyone else who fails to get it: Fuck all of you.
Name one republic (apart from ancient Greece) that existed before we invented the idea.
You will not be able to do that because of one great truth that does not get enough play.
Americans are assholes. We are such huge assholes that we went out and invented a form of government that basically had never been seen before. We got it so right that the rest of the world pretty much said “Oh shit! We need to do this too”. Every country has a different flavor of the basic idea but the core is what our founding fathers came up with.
Ask the British nations with Westminster model governments if they think that letting regular people figure out stuff is a good idea. Whatever answer you get, remember that they only have that system because we already kicked the Brits in the ass.
Ask the Russians and Chinese the same question and see what you get. You can also ask the people of Iraq and Afghanistan but remember that they are still working out the details.
Seriously, we are assholes. It is who we are and what we do.
Are there still places where people are governed under a system that is not based on the consent of the governed? Hell yes. The whole world is staring them down. They will make the changes that they need to or they will eventually get an ass kicking. When the time comes, it will probably not come from France, Germany or Japan (all of whom have pretty much the system that we American told them to have).
Odds are that the ass kicking will be made in the USA. The guns will be made in the USA because we like guns. Deal with it.
We will execute your dictator because we like executions. Deal with it.
Americans are assholes. This cannot be said enough. It is who we are and it is what we do.
Is America the perfect nation? Well if by perfect you mean that we have 300,000,000 assholes living in one place then yes. If you mean do we have the best electrical grid in the world or the best health care system, I refer you back to the 300,000,000 assholes.
If you mean do we have the cash to solve the problems that we have, well the 300,000,000 assholes seem to have made the largest single economy in the world.
Europe? You would be hard pressed to find a 5 year bit of history where no wars happened before the asshole in America decided to do what they do. Today, the Europeans have set all of that aside and made the EU and set the Euro as a currency. Um, why did they break with the great historical precedent? Um, yes, that has something to do with being able to even be a player on the world stage when there are 300,000,000 assholes in the USA.
Happy Independence day.
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Somebody forgot to take their Mydol today!
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Well gee Ken, We are assholes. As I said above, it is who we are and what we do. Are there a couple of dictators in central America who are willing to keep us happy provided that they stay in power? Well, the only power that they have is based on keeping us assholes happy.
As far as the actual day is concerned, general Cornwallis tried to surrender on 10/17 but general Washington made him hold his dick for a couple of days. American independence begins really on 10/19.
Was I not clear on the matter of Americans being assholes? Then ask anyone from Canada. If you get told that Americans are assholes then you can paypal me some money.
Ken, you might want to try going outside tonight. You will find that we celebrate our assholery with the prodigious use of explosives.
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“A meritocratic society is one in which inequalities of wealth and social position solely reflect the unequal distribution of merit or skills amongst human beings, or are based upon factors beyond human control, for example luck or chance. Such a society is socially just because individuals are judged not by their gender, the colour of their skin or their religion, but according to their talents and willingness to work, or on what Martin Luther King called 'the content of their character'. By extension, social equality is unjust because it treats unequal individuals equally.” "Political Ideologies" by Andrew Heywood (2003)
I was wondering if you have ever heard the Fredrick Douglass speech about the 4th of July,this is a reading from Howard Zinn's book "The People's History of the United States" -
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Nice Speech. Good job by Danny Glover...
...But it isn't 1850 anymore... and most of the caucasians in America can't even trace their ancestry back to when there was slavery in this country, for the Italians, Irish, Jews, Greeks, Hispanics and Russians all immigrated her long after slavery. Personally, I think it speaks volumes about this country that such an injustice was righted, and historically... in but a few years the overwhelming majority recognize it as the atrocity it was...
To me, this is like coming back in another 150 years, and taking the Germans who are alive at the time to task for the Nazis...
Whats the point Ken, That America isn't paradise?... OK... Point taken... It has a lot of faults still, and a past that should never be forgotten due to the crimes against humanity that occurred... that makes the USA ...well... Like just about every other country on the planet... But this country also does a lot of good... and without Americas existance, the world would be a much darker, more bleak place than it presently is...
So again I say, I am Proud to be an American, for all of our faults, Past & present.
www.RichWoodsBlog.com
Well Rich,when we relearn history we can see just how we've been tricked into believing that our nation has righted these crimes that have been committed by the Government,if that was the case there wouldn't be environmental racism,and black people would have better schools to send their children to.Did you ever read Johnathan Kozol's book "Shame of a Nation:the restoration of apartheid schooling in America" that was 2006,and "Letters to a young Teacher "this guy was a teacher in NY city,a great read ! In fact the U.S.Government did not apologized for slavery until 2008 when after we had elected a Black president,but we paid reparations to the Japanese people that were interned in U.S. camps.Then you got the Imperial conquest that this nation has never gave up,even George Washington was a Imperialist,this is the first country that was started as a Empire.Most Americans are in the dark when it comes to the CIA's secret Wars in the Third World countries (estimated death do to U.S. interventions 6 million) a former CIA agent John Stockwell tells what he saw,heres a video of his lecture - then there's William Blums book "Rouge State" (which is a book about the American Empire) and his book "Killing Hope:U.S. millitary and CIA interventions since WWll". And then you got Edwin Black's books like "War against the weak:eugenics and America's campaige to Create a Master Race.Don't get me wrong,I do think that there are a lot stuff that makes America,a country worth living in.But remember that nothing was given to us by the Government,it was fought for by the people,like the 8hr. work day,Civil Rights was passed do to the sit in's and marches and protesting,people like Rosa Parks who demanded to sit where ever she wanted,America Apartheid style.
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